NCAA East Regional Central – Preliminary Round Qualifying Lists
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Six Maryland track athletes have officially accepted qualifying bids to the 2016 NCAA East Regional Track & Field Championships in Jacksonville, Fla. May 26-28. The Terps will have athletes in action all three days of the event hosted at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.
The top 48 declared student athletes in an event from each region are accepted into the competition, with the top 12 regional placers advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon June 8-11.
Senior Chioma Onyekwere has earned bids in both the shot put and weight throw to this year's regional championships, as she looks to continue a stellar final season for the Terps. The Fairfax, Va. native is coming off a fantastic weekend at the Big Ten Track & Field Championships, where she posted new personal bests in both the shot put and discus events. She notched top-three finishes in both events, taking third in the discus while resetting her school record (54.43m) and second in the shot put (16.85m). Onyekwere currently ranks 10th in the region in the shot put and 12th in the discus.
Junior Micha Powell has qualified for the women's 400 meter dash fresh off a fourth place finish in the event at the B1G Championships. Her top qualifying time came this season on March 31, when she set a new the school record in the event (52.49) at the Florida Relays. Powell made her first-ever NCAA Championship appearance earlier in the year at the indoor championships.
Junior Lisa Meneau will make her second career appearance at the NCAA East Regionals in the 400 meter hurdles, after posting a career-best 57.90 at the Big Ten Championships. Her time is currently 21st in the region, and was good for fourth in the field in the 400 hurdle finals at last weekend's B1G Championships.
Sophomore Peyton Wade will also make her second career appearance at the East Regionals, competing in the high jump with a qualifying mark of 1.78 meters set at the Virginia Quad Meet. Wade is coming off a successful weekend at the Big Ten Championships where she took fourth in the heptathlon (5324 points) and 10th in the high jump (1.76m).
Sophomore Alexandra Lucki has made it in to the 1500 meter qualifier pool, as she will get set to compete at her first East Regional. Her top time of 4:23.71 was set in College Park at the Kehoe Twilight Meet on May 6, while she outran her No. 12 seed in the event at the Big Ten Championships to place eighth.
Junior Brandon Thompson has made it in to the 200 meter dash after posting a career-best 20.97 in the event at the Big Ten Championships. Thompson is currently seeded 40th in the field.
-Terps-
